NHTSA Complaint #10460543 — 2012 HYUNDAI VELOSTER

VEHICLE HAD STRONG SMELL OF FUEL INSIDE THE VEHICLE. NO VISIBLE LEAKS UNDER THE VEHICLE. CALLED THE HENDERSON HYUNDAI SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND WAS TOLD THAT I NEED TO LEAVE THE A/C CONTROLS ON RE-CIRCULATE TO MINIMIZE THE CONDITION. THE FUMES WERE OVERWHELMING, CLOSE TO HOME SO DROVE IT HOME WITH ALL WINDOWS OPEN TO VENT THE SMELL. CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. PICKED UP VEHICLE NEXT DAY AND THE DEALER DID NOTHING, SAID THIS WAS NORMAL, AND TO RUN THE RE-CIRCULATE AS TOLD BEFORE. SPOKE WITH SERVICE MANAGER AT HENDERSON HYUNDAI WHO GAVE ME A TWO PAGE DOCUMENT THAT STATED " SEVERAL FACTORS MUST BE PRESENT AT THE SAME TIME IN ORDER FOR THIS TO OCCUR. SOME EXAMPLES OF THESE CONDITIONS ARE, HIGH AMBIENT TEMPERATURE (100F +), HIGH ALTITUDE, POOR FUEL QUALITY, LOW FUEL LEVEL IN THE GAS TANK, EXTENDED IDLING, SLOW TRAFFIC OR STOP AND GO DRIVING. FUEL ODOR UNDER THESE EXTREME CONDITIONS IS NORMAL AND DOES NOT INDICATE A DEFECT WITH THE VEHICLE" I THEN STATED THAT THEY SHOULD INFORM THE BUYER PRIOR TO PURCHASE, AS ALL OF THESE CONDITIONS EXIST IN THE LAS VEGAS AREA FOR 4 MONTHS OF THE YEAR. I ALSO BROUGHT UP THE POSSIBILITY OF THE CAR HAVING THE A/C ON WHILE IN AN EXTENDED IDLE SITUATION, AND THE OPERATOR NOT KNOWING THIS, THEN GETTING IN THE CAR AND LIGHTING A CIGARETTE WITHOUT BEING AWARE OF THE ISSUE, AND POSSIBLY CAUSING A FIRE, THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT YES, THAT COULD HAPPEN. I HAVE THE COMPLETE TWO PAGE DOCUMENT FROM HYUNDAI IF YOU WOULD LIKE A COPY OF WHAT I WAS GIVEN, AS MOST OF THE EXTREME CONDITIONS NOTED ARE A DAILY OCCURRENCE DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS IN LAS VEGAS, I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT THEY WOULD EVEN SELL THIS VEHICLE. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THIS IS BECAUSE THE CHARCOAL CANNISTER ON THE EMISSION SYSTEM CANNOT HANDLE THE AMOUNT OF VAPOR PRODUCED. I ALSO SUGGESTED ROUTING THE VENT TO ANOTHER LOCATION. *TR